Where we belong:
by Anomalous123
Summary: Faced with inflammation and ex-members of the Thule society out for their blood, the brother's flee Germany to find and destroy the uranium bomb. With Ed's automail in need of repair, the death of fellow comrades looming over their heads, and a long road to go with little means to get there, how will the brother's cope? Especially when the world is on the brink of a world war.
1. Chapter 1:

**Prologue:**

Alphonse slumped in his seat as he threw a tired look over to his brother, who was resting against his shoulder, deep in slumber. It had been two hours since they had left the train station from Munich and was now en route to Stuttgart, a neighbouring city interconnected with the previous one in the country of Germany.

The gate had taken a few months to destroy. With the handicap of no alchemy, they had to resort to dismantling and explosives to obliterate the metal to ashes and dust. To obtain such items had taken even longer than it was to blow the damn thing sky high. Alphonse was not particularly proud of what they had to do but knew there was no other choice. Leaving just a trace was dangerous enough and they had to manually move pieces of it towards the ocean with help of only two trucks- that was graciously offered by Fritz Lang and this world's version of Maes Hughes (who had a change of heart after the downfall of the Thule society)- to make sure no one ever got the idea recreating a gate by seeing its remains.

The funeral for Alfons Heiderich was held in the middle of the cleanup. Ed had suffered between having Al back at the cost of losing one of his best friends in the process. It was hard to get him to sleep without the presence of Al being there and even then nightmares haunted Ed back to alert wakefulness. The younger brother couldn't say he emphasised exactly but he could sympathize with the older boy. If he was in Ed's position where he had lived with his brother counterpart for so long, he would be more than upset too.

Although it was a dream come true to have Ed back, he couldn't stop the guilt. He had been without the golden-haired male so long that he didn't stop to think of the people he was leaving behind. Winry, Granny, Rose, Armstrong, Mustang and his team, and countless other people he had met in his second chance of growing up and the one in the armour.

The other thing he felt so guilty about was that the death of his other self. Sure, it was not his fault that Alfonse was shot but crossing over into this world felt like replacing him. Alphonse had theorized that if his counterpart had not been dead before the crossing, the world would have been imbalanced with both on this side and one would eventually die anyway. It seemed logical but he took guilty acceptance that it wasn't entirely his fault- not that he was going to voice his concerns anyway. Ed was kicking the bucket as it already was that there was no need to add to the depression building on the young man's mind.

This world, however strangely similar but plainly not the same, was almost surreal. Like the people were playing a role and they stuck to their characters perfectly. It was heart-wrenching to see the faces of people you knew but don't quite match up with the memories and personalities of the 'real' versions. He missed the people back home and was afraid of people finding out the truth. There had been a few attempts to kidnap the brothers- by supporters and ex-members- and make them pay for what they had done- ones that the police and nicely hidden blades and automail did quick work on to stop.

Even now, Al carried a knife and a lighter in case someone attacked them. Alphonse disproved of such things to carry on his person but decided to give in to his brothers pleading request. The young man was hysterical over the first attempt that could have turned into Al losing sight in one eye if Ed hadn't jumped in and knocked the three bastards out with his automail. The paranoia was understandable, especially when they were left so vulnerable against the unforgiving evils of this world.

Ever since he had crossed over to this side of the gate, the feeling of doom had gotten worse. Like a storm was coming and whatever they could do to try and prevent this unforeseen disaster, it would come to pass and wreak havoc on Germany. It became too much that Alphonse had pushed forward their leave to try and relocate the uranium bomb that Huskisson guy accidentally transported over and most likely blabbed about its makings. The stupid idiot.

From experience, Al knew the human race was not ready for that type of technological advancements using elements that could be weaponized. Both sides of the gate had equally demonstrated their ever-growing capacity for war and it scared the teen how far some people would go to achieve domination. Some people just don't know when to quit.

A sigh escaped the wary teen's lips as he adjusted the position of his arm that was slung around Edward's neck. Al knew he would have to wake his brother in a few short minutes as they were approaching the station. He was almost afraid to. The action would mean they would be moving again. They would have to face the world once more and the burdens would be weighing down upon them once more.

Taking a calming breath to calm his nerves- although possibly nothing could ever really prepare him for what was to come- the young teen shook his brother with a frown. "Brother, it's time to wake up!" His cheery voice made the golden-haired adult moan, mumbling incoherent things under his breath. Despite the situation, Al laughed at the other male's childish antics. Somethings just never change.

With his face cast downwards, the younger missed the smirk Ed was wearing. Oh, how he loved to hear his Alphonse laugh. The sound was so angelic and innocent that it made his heart flutter and caused his chest to ache all at the same time.

What had he done to deserve someone as gentle and loving as Al, he did not know … but that doesn't mean he was going waste the opportunity. Like hell.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Hello. I have waited for ages and had many attempts to start this fic. There are some amazing ones that involve the Elric brother's and Germany and I, unfortunately, lack the talent to compete. However, I have been wanting to do this for a while now and before I know it the words just came out.

This has not been BETA-ed but has been waiting in my google docs for a few months now, so I thought it was about time I did something with it. If anyone would like to lend me a hand in the BETA-ing or Co-writing department, I would be grateful. This takes place after Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa.

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!

-Anomalous123


	2. Chapter 2:

**Chapter 2:**

Germany was stuck in a national crisis. The economy was failing, with overpriced produce practically everywhere and people resorting to violent acts to get by. There was little money to go around and the residents were struggling to even support their families, causing the death toll to rise at an alarming rate. Corruption was visible in the chain of command and citizens were concerned for their country, their lives and their loved ones. Competition was at its all-time high in many areas and, sadly, this included hotels, as well as train tickets.

When Van Hohenheim disappeared before the incident with the Thule society, Ed had inherited the man's money saved up from years of being a teacher at a local university. The young adult knew it was enough for a few more months for the two brothers, but they needed to find a job soon before their limited supply was depleted completely. Most businesses wouldn't hire Ed as he was only 19 and unemployment was sweeping through the nation, doubled with his fear to take a physical - automail was foreign and feared in this world - as well as having no experience to make him more eligible for a position than others, so finding a job seemed almost fruitless.

The two had decided to move to a different country altogether. There was no reason to stay in the middle of such devastation and decided that leaving sooner rather than later was the ideal solution. That, and the fact that multiple people were out for their blood. Even on the edge of Germany, the inflation was extremely noticeable. Finding a hotel would have been out of the question if they didn't want to deplete a good chunk of their money on a crappy hotel, just to spend the night in a semi-comfortable bed. Nightfall was approaching and Ed could tell from the way Alphonse slouched slightly forward that he had to find somewhere nice and dry for them to crash for the night.

"Brother, I'm hungry," Alphonse whined, wrapping his brown coat around his body to protect himself from the wind. At moments like this, he would find himself thinking back to the time when he was still in the armour, protected from the elements and incapable of tiredness and hunger while his brother's fragile body was exposed and suffering against what the world threw at him. At least back then, he could offer shelter with his empty shell of a body or provide protection and backup for the hot-headed teen, but now...

Edward blinked and just then noticed his stomach was also rumbling. He cursed lightly. He had forgotten about food. Thinking back, the last thing they had eaten was a light breakfast at half-past eleven in the morning. It was now five. They were way overdue for something to eat, though they had to cut back on food at least until they got over the border and into France. "Come on," he ordered gently, grasping the other boy's hand and leading them down the street. They headed towards the edge of the large town, growing more lethargic by the second until they finally reached an undergrowth. "This should do. I know it's unsanitary and has no shelter, but it will do for now," Ed grimaced as he threw himself down onto the many leaves littering the ground.

Alphonse frowned and sank to his knees, kneeling in the semi-dry grass. "Are you sure you'll be alright here? Automail is so tough on you," the teen asked as he watched his brother rustle through one of the backpacks. Edward froze, a frown settling on his face.

"Whether it's comfortable is not the point. We can't fork out money so carelessly. I need to find work, Al, and we need to get out of this country before someone tries to kill us. Our mission is to find the atom bomb and destroy the damn thing; no one else should ever find out about the gate and our connection to Amestris. We can't risk putting everyone back home in any more danger."

An agreeable silence passed between them as they ate. Alphonse couldn't believe how much Edward had grown up, yet still remained the same loyal hot-head with a sense of duty.

Soon enough, they had finished their meals and lay down together. Alphonse rolled over on the large blanket, curling his arms around the sleeping Edward's waist and pulling the blond gently towards him. It was a nippy night and he didn't want them to wake up freezing. Wrapping him up more, he took a chance to look down into the innocent-looking face and frowned. A bead of sweat was dripping from the shorter guy's forehead. It was going to be a long night.

Dropping his head into loose, golden hair, he relinquished the feeling of warmth and security it possessed. This was so much better than a cheap hotel and judgmental eyes. Just him and his brother, like it should be. "Don't worry, I'll protect you, brother..." the young teen whispered determinedly before falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

Alphonse's nose wrinkled when a small drop of moisture fell on his face. Another quickly followed, causing his face to scrunch up more. Groaning, he opened his eyes to see the dark clouds looming overhead. The boy frowned, pushing himself up into a sitting position as he felt the drizzle of rain against his cold skin. "Brother!" He exclaimed urgently, reaching out to place a hand on the smaller teen's shoulder. "Brother, wake up!"

"Ngh," came the reply as Ed rolled onto his back, pulling his flesh hand closer to his chest. "What's up, Al," he inquired grudgingly, sleep still fresh in his mind.

"We have to move. Get up," Alphonse informed sharply, climbing to his feet and rushing around the makeshift campsite. He saw Ed wince a few times as he struggled to sit up and rub at his aching ports. The older sibling closed his eyes, and heaved himself to his feet, grimacing at the pain it caused. His whole body felt numb with pain as he stumbled blindly.

Slinging the backpacks over his shoulder, the younger boy buckled slightly under the weight, but quickly recomposed himself. Finding Al's hand, Ed opened his eyes and they started to move towards the road beyond the trees and bushes. "Al, give me a bag," he ordered, holding out his free hand.

Al hesitated, grip tightening on the bag in his hands, eyeing Edward's slumping posture before looking at his brother's face and frowning. "No, I've got it."

"Al, no time for arguing. Give me it."

"No." He replied shortly, glaring at the teen. Edward would have blinked in response but settled for a groan as his ports gave another throb of pain. Alphonse knew he had won and they pushed on.

* * *

"You two okay?" The brothers froze and turned towards the voice to find a young boy standing near them, mid-step with firewood in his hands.

"No. My brother is freezing. You wouldn't know where the nearest shelter is, do you?"

The child blinked at the taller of the two's bluntness and immediately realized he had been asked a question. "Yeah, but it's far away from here. Me and my family don't live too far away though, and I'm sure my mum and sister wouldn't mind if you stay with us until the rain lets up," the boy offered, taking in their soaked appearance and the smaller teen seemed to be in pain. Was he hurt somehow?

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to intrude," the stranger said, tightening his hold on his brother. He blinked, confused by the boy's change in attitude.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. It would be nice to have some company. We don't get many visitors these days…" He trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face before turning back to the brothers. "Come on! It's not far from here."

"Oh, right. Erm, are you sure your family won't mind?"

"Just go with the damn kid, Al," Edward grumbled, wanting nothing but to be away from the cold air and stupid rain. They had been walking for the past half hour and his head was clouded with a dull pain. Alphonse cursed himself for not paying attention to which direction they left the town in and knew Edward was in too much pain to think back and point them in the right direction. His automail had been acting up for the last month and the elements had started to affect it, making it harder to control and important components began to rust and snap. If they ever made it back home, Winry would kill them for all it was worth.

"Lead the way."

* * *

The trio entered a small clearing within the forest to see a small wooden shack. The rain had let up, if only slightly and all three boys were shivering in the cold morning air.

On the way, Edward had stumbled a few times and now he was practically being half-carried, half-dragged by his brother. His golden eyes were glazed over in pain as exhaustion began to settle in. Al frowned, trying not to shiver. A stand-alone cabin in the woods...? Yeah, this couldn't be any good.

He shook himself before his thoughts could go any further. This was not the time to get spooked out. He, however, couldn't stop himself from glancing over to their guide suspiciously.

The boy was walking towards the cabin, arms full of Al's and Ed's luggage entrusted to him after Ed nearly collapsed. Initially, Al was wary to hand them over, but had no choice as supporting his brother was more important - he couldn't do both tasks at the same time. Besides, if he chose to steal them, where could he go? The boy was shorter than both of them and there seemed to be just forest for hours. Al sighed and hung his head.

He was getting paranoid.

He tried to fight it, but the last couple weeks of being targeted by killers and the years before that looking for the philosopher's stone had changed him. At first, he tried to fight it. He wanted to see the good in people, no matter what they had done in the past, although the attempts were unsuccessful. He liked to think everyone had good intentions and was trying to do what they thought was honest and just. However, sometimes that was not the case. Some people were greedy, revenge-driven or had been pushed to the edge. Both worlds had their fair share of bad people who would gladly use anyone who was unfortunate to stumble across them. Alphonse hated that thought. He didn't want to believe that.

He had believed that wherever there was evil, there was good. There was always a balance, like Yin and Yang. Anyone could be a villain with the right motivation, the right persuasive. It was an overly depressing thought. But if the potential for good was present, if the balance hadn't been tipped too far, then maybe, there was a chance for that individual to become someone greater than themselves.

"Breathe," a familiar voice muttered, arms around his shoulder and waist respectively shifted. Ed's voice came out in a gasp.

For a brief moment, Al wondered who his brother was addressing until he noticed that his own chest was heaving and his eyes had dulled. He recognised this feeling. Panic. He inhaled deeply, pushing down those thoughts because he didn't want to think like that. To be like that. He couldn't go around thinking that everyone would sell them out or harm them eventually.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he gathered himself before opening them once more, a glint of determination shining in them. For now, his main focus was getting Ed to a dry place and draining out the automail.

"Are you okay? You can come inside, you know?" The little boy asked, oblivious to the inner turmoil going on inside the older guy.

Alphonse smiled - a wary one - and walked forward. There was a faint heat that was present inside the shack, heating them slightly and some of the tension seeped out of his bones as they entered. Their bags had been dropped to one side of the house, closest to the door and the boy gestured over to one corner. A pile of blankets were set in such a way that it made four makeshift beds. Two women were snoring away, snuggled up in their blankets and oblivious to the world.

"Dad's out fishing at the moment. He shouldn't be back until morning. Normally, if it rains, he goes to the Summons, who live on the other side of the forest, which is closest to the river. You can use his sheets if you like? Unfortunately, we only have one, so I suggest using a blanket each. The wooden floor may be hard to sleep on, but is a lot better than taking a nap outside!"

Alphonse nodded, guiding his brother towards the blankets. Snagging the objects allocated to him, he leads them back towards the fire and set the blankets as they were before. He lowered the barely conscious teen to the bed and tucked him in. Alphonse's heart throbbed as his older sibling moaned, turning towards the warmth of the fire.

During this, the boy watched stunned. "What about you?" He wasn't conscious of the question rolling off his tongue until it was out in the open.

The blond shook his head and pulled his legs up so his chin rested on his kneecaps. "I'll be fine. The fire is all I need to stay warm," he replied, flashing him a warm smile. "Thank you. We really appreciate this."

The boy shifted awkwardly, a hand lifting up to scratch his cheek. A small blush of embarrassment became visible under parted fingers. "Oh, er…thanks, I guess. It was nothing, really." A yawn escaped him. He ducked his head. "So, it's pretty early in the morning. I have to get up early to collect some firewood, so it's best I get some sleep…" He trailed off. The awkward silences where getting to him. Sure, he had invited them to his home, but he had no known common ground with this boy or his brother. Heck, he didn't even know his name. It left him with only general questions to ask, and neutral topics to talk about.

Alphonse could sense this too and agreed. The boy looked relieved, bonding over to his bedspread and settling down to sleep. Normally, he would sleep the other way, facing the wall so the fire's light would be less likely to disturb him, but a soft lullaby that filled the room caught his attention. He shifted so he faced the brothers to see that the taller was running a hand through the sibling's hair, lips parted as singing came to lure all in the general vacancy to sleep. A warmth not brought by the roaring fire spread through his form, causing his eyes to close. A smile graced his lips as he fell into the realm of sleep.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Hey. this was supposed to come out two weeks after the prologue but it has been nearly a months. I will try to post every two weeks, although it would probably be every month if I'm being realistic.

I would also like to say thank you to the amazing Rockium for BETA-ing for this chapter.

 **This takes place after Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa.**

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!

-Anomalous123


	3. Chapter 3:

**Authors note:**

 **Hello, and welcome back. Woah, that is a LONG delay. Sorry people. Unfortunately, this will be a short chapter which is no way to reward you guys for the short wait, but I am under isolation for the next three or so months, so I have no reason to miss my self-imposed deadlines.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

Golden-grey eyes snapped open to a pair of dirt covered shoes that were a few meters from his face. Scrambling to his knees in alarm, he snuck out a hand closest to where his brother was sleeping and gripped the metal wrist that was poking out of the thin blanket. The small girl jerked, stepping backwards in surprise at the sudden movement of the other. They both eyed each other warily.

"Who are you?" The young female asked, apprehension and curiosity clear in her voice. Her brown hair was long and messy while her equally coloured eyes shone with emotion. Al stared in confusion, wondering where she came from. She sank down to one knee when he didn't answer and frowned. A hand stretched out as if she wanted to pet him like some small animal, yet hesitated. He followed her movements with his eyes. " I didn't mean to scare…" She started soothingly, but her apology was lost as she started.

He cleared his throat and moved, shuffling in front of his brother in a fruitless attempt to block him from her view. She had likely already seen him, but he had to be careful not to allow her to get too close. It would not go down well if she knew about Ed's automail. "I'm Al." He finally greeted uncertainty. She smiled, relieved to get an answer out of him. "You'll have to do a lot more than that to scare me."

"I'm Dorothy. I'm six, but I'll be seven next week! Mum said we'll go apple picking if the weather is nice!" The girl announced excitedly, a grin spreading across her face before it died down to glance at the boarded-up window. "I hope this rain stops soon or it'll be too muddy..." She trailed off, worry drowning out her positive mood once more and he felt something tugging at his heartstrings. Alphonse listened to her ramble, a faint smile on his face.

He remembered the years when he was back in the armour, listening to his brother complain about the colonel and occasionally go over their notes. He remembered the pair of them singing a song they created to remember the periodic table during their boring train ride, and word games they would create just to pass the time. He smiled, wishing to go back to those days where they both had a more positive view of the world. Back before they knew the secrets behind the philosopher's stone. When they had hoped and dreamed of the days where they would have their bodies back, where they believed that once it happened, they were going to live out their days with Winry and Granny in Risembul just like before. Oh, how naive they were.

He guessed that this was their punishment for stepping foot in God's domain. They were still paying for their mistakes, even now. Sometimes, Alphonse would allow himself to ponder on when their misfortune would end. Surely, they had sacrificed enough to deserve happiness? Hopefully, Truth would get bored with them soon…

A hand was shaking his shoulder interrupted his train of thought, snapping him back to the present.

"Al! Hey, Al, are you okay?" The voice was hesitant. He forced a smile and she relaxed. "Thank god, you looked scary for a second. His arm…um," she pointed to Ed, looking a bit confused. Snapping his head back to his brother, he becomes conscious of his brother's flesh hand lightly gripping Al's wrist. The smaller boy was moaning in pain. "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"

Al winced slightly but managed to hide his grimace. His eyes traced the metal appendage with worry, and stopped once he saw the droplets of water drip onto the wooden floor. Al cursed under his breath. This was not good. He glanced around the room and frowned. The only ones inside the shack were him, his brother, and the young girl. If this was Amestris, the idea of draining Ed's automail would have been fine with witnesses around, but this wasn't their homeworld.

Humming in thought, his eyes swept around the room, looking for some sort of distraction. Al was hyper-aware of the rasping breaths coming from his brother. "Dorothy, I need you to do me a big favour," he started, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice. The girl snapped to attention, her eyes trained on him expectantly. "His fever has gotten worse. I need some water safe enough to drink. His throat has to be dry by now and that seems to be hurting him. Can you do that?" He watched her climb to her feet and place her left hand on her chin, a thoughtful expression donning her features. He waited a few moments before she nodded, beaming.

"My brother usually gets it, but he did show me where the old well was a few times. I'll be right back!" Dorothy called over her shoulder as she rushed to the door and yanked it. Once it was fully open, the young girl ran out, letting a faint ray of sunlight shine into the room.

Alphonse sighed and started to lift the brown fabric that clung to the metal. Ed moaned, blurry eyes blinking open to gaze at Al. "We need to get you some dry clothes and drain your arm before she comes back," the taller boy explained, freeing the arm and lifting his brother slightly to slide the coat to the other side to make it easier to tug it loose. As he started to undress his brother and un-attach his arm, Ed's golden eyes watched him warily, a frown on his lips.

"Al," he started slowly. A lump formed in his throat and he gulped. He felt guilty for getting sick. Lately, Al had been taking care of him due to his failing automail, and now, he couldn't even move properly without his little brother's help. He was the oldest; he was supposed to look after his younger sibling, not the other way around. His eyebrows knitted together. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Tears started to gather in his eyes, although he turned away so Al could not see them. He had already caused the younger boy so much pain.

He hated this.

 **TBC**


End file.
